Andrew Benintendi

Injury Notes: Trout, Jeffress, Benintendi, Cobb, LeBlanc

By George Miller | April 14, 2019 at 3:48pm CDT

Angels megastar Mike Trout, who has been unavailable for several days due to a groin injury, has shown improvement and will rejoin the Angels for their series in Texas, per Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group. He remains day-to-day and it is yet unclear when he will be ready to return to the lineup, but the update is certainly welcome news for the Angels. Trout exited the Angels’ April 9 contest with the Brewers after suffering a right groin strain and remained in Los Angeles while the rest of the team traveled to Chicago. The club has managed well in Trout’s absence, finishing a three-game sweep of the Brewers and winning one of two games against the Cubs, with Sunday’s rubber match postponed. The news should certainly inspire some optimism for Angels fans, who have collectively been holding their breath since Trout’s injury. Considering the circumstances, it would feel like the best-case scenario for the Halos to get their franchise cornerstone back after just a handful of games, a stretch in which the team has maintained its winning form.

Here are the latest updates on other injuries from around Major League Baseball…

Brewers reliever Jeremy Jeffress has completed his rehab assignment and will rejoin the Brewers on Monday, per Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Jeffress, a stalwart of the Brewers’ dynamic bullpen in 2018, has been on the shelf for the beginning of the season with a shoulder issue, which has since been resolved, says Haudricourt. He will join Josh Hader in a Milwaukee bullpen that will be without Corey Knebel, who underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this season.
In Sunday’s victory over the Orioles, Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi fouled a ball sharply off his right foot and had to exit the game. In some good news for the Sox, though, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports that x-rays on Benintendi’s foot returned negative results, though Benintendi will be day-to-day with a foot contusion. He was replaced in left field by Blake Swihart on Sunday, who could continue to serve as Benintendi’s substitute if he misses any time.
Orioles righty Alex Cobb, out since April 6 with a lumbar strain, won’t come off the IL when first eligible, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com was among those to report. It doesn’t appear Cobb will miss much more time, however. Manager Brandon Hyde indicated he could start during the Orioles’ upcoming series against the Twins, which runs from April 19-21. Cobb pitched well in his lone start of the season, an April 4 loss to the Yankees in which he threw 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball.
Seattle Mariners southpaw Wade LeBlanc will miss 4-6 weeks with a grade 2 oblique strain, skipper Scott Servais told reporters, including The Athletic’s Corey Brock (Twitter link). With LeBlanc headed to the 10-day IL, the team has called up right-hander Erik Swanson from Triple-A. Swanson will take LeBlanc’s place in the starting rotation and is slated to make his first Major League start on Wednesday.

Extension Rumors: Cole, Verlander, Red Sox, Castellanos

By Steve Adams | March 22, 2019 at 10:05am CDT

The Astros are currently discussing extensions with starters Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (subscription required), though a deal with either seems unlikely. Rosenthal notes that the Astros may not be keen on paying market price for a multi-year extension with Verlander when that deal would begin in his age-37 season. Cole, meanwhile, is a Scott Boras client and thus likelier to test the free-agent market. Boras’ most recent extension for a starting pitcher was Nationals righty Stephen Strasburg, who (like Cole) was in his walk year when he signed a $175MM guarantee on a seven-year deal beginning in his age-28 season. Cole is in his age-28 season right now, so he’d be a year older than Strasburg at the time of a theoretical extension, but he’s also been more durable, reaching 200 innings in three of the past four seasons. Rosenthal makes a slightly less-aggressive comp than that, pointing out that Cole will reach free agency at the same age as Patrick Corbin and with better career stats. Corbin agreed to a six-year deal worth $140MM with the Nats this winter.

Since it’s officially “Extension Season” — as MLBTR’s Extension Tracker shows, there have been a virtually unprecedented 16 extension agreements during Spring Training — here’s more extension chatter from around the game…

Rob Bradford of WEEI spoke to J.D. Martinez about the opt-out clause in his contract with the Red Sox at the end of the season. Martinez, who can opt out of the remaining three years and $62.5MM on his current deal, said there haven’t been any discussions about an extension or a restructuring of the contract to this point. Unlike last summer, however, he at least left open a slight window for in-season talks in his most recent interview with Bradford. Martinez has an opt-out after the third year of his contract as well, at which point there’d be two years and $38.75MM remaining on the deal.
Red Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi was drafted five spot behind Alex Bregman and reached the Majors barely a week after the Astros’ third baseman, but Benintendi tells Bradford that his those similarities didn’t make him take particular note of Bregman’s $100MM extension. Rather, the 24-year-old Benintendi says it’s “fun to watch all these guys sign some deals” in a nod to the bevy of extensions throughout MLB. Benintendi and his reps have not discussed an extension with the Sox this winter, though he tells Bradford that he would “definitely” listen if the Sox initiated talks.
MLB Network’s Jon Heyman spoke to Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski about the team’s current slate of extension candidates (all links to Twitter). While it’s common for players to place Opening Day deadlines on extension talks, Dombrowski somewhat unusually took a similar stance. “We’re focused on winning this year,” he said. “…Unless something unexpected happens, we’re not going to do anything once the season starts.” Heyman notes that Xander Bogaerts, specifically, has stated an aversion to in-season negotiating. Regarding Martinez, Dombrowski merely stated that the Sox are “hopeful” he won’t opt out of his contract.
The Tigers “haven’t engaged in any kind of [extension] conversations” with Nicholas Castellanos this spring, GM Al Avila told MLB.com’s Jason Beck yesterday. There’s been no formal offer or even any formal discussions on the matter with Castellanos’ agent, according to Avila, though he said the possibility of a deal is “obviously… in our minds.” Castellanos has expressed a desire to remain in Detroit on a long-term deal, though the rebuilding Tigers will undoubtedly view him as a possible trade asset this summer as well. If the two sides can eventually find a common ground in terms of price, however, Avila said he wouldn’t rule out an in-season extension. “He hasn’t said anything to the contrary,” Avila said of Castellanos being willing to negotiate beyond Opening Day. “I think he would be open to it.”

Red Sox Notes: Bogaerts, Betts, Sale, Porcello, Bullpen, Catchers

By Connor Byrne | January 19, 2019 at 6:36pm CDT

Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reported earlier this month that the world champion Red Sox had been discussing a contract extension with an unnamed player. It turns out that player was shortstop Xander Bogaerts, according to Drellich, though he adds that the two sides never came close to an agreement during their talks. The 26-year-old Bogaerts is now slated to make $12MM in 2019, potentially his last season with the Red Sox. Meanwhile, outfielder Andrew Benintendi – who, according to industry speculation, was an extension target for the Red Sox earlier this offseason – said Saturday he and the team haven’t talked about a new pact, Drellich relays. The 24-year-old Benintendi still has another pre-arbitration season remaining, meaning the Red Sox aren’t in danger of losing him for a while.

As with Bogaerts, the Red Sox are at risk of losing outfielder and reigning AL MVP Mookie Betts in the near future. Betts, 26, is entering his penultimate year of arbitration control, in which he’ll earn $20MM (a record for a player in Year 2 of arb eligibility). Unsurprisingly, though, the Red Sox want to keep Betts in the fold for the long haul. CEO Sam Kennedy stated Saturday (via Drellich) that “we’ve made it crystal clear that we want him a part of the Red Sox organization long term.” Betts, for his part, said: “Contract things are kind of tough to come up with, especially with both sides and kind of how the economics and all those things work. I love Boston, love my teammates, love the fans and all those types of things, so we’ll just continue to see what happens.” While Betts does appear open to signing an extension with the Red Sox, he doesn’t seem averse to testing the open market, per Drellich.
Two key members of Boston’s starting staff, left-hander Chris Sale and righty Rick Porcello, could each hit free agency a year from now. The soon-to-be 30-year-old Sale suggested Saturday that he’s willing to discuss an extension, but the Red Sox haven’t broached the subject yet. “My phone is on if they call me,” he said (via Ian Browne of MLB.com). “Obviously nothing has happened up until this point. If they call, I’d answer.” Sale also indicated that his left shoulder – which was a problem at times late last season, when he dealt with a massive drop in velocity – is no longer an issue. As for Porcello, 30, he also revealed that no extension talks have taken place, though he’d “love to” discuss a new contract with the club, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com tweets. For now, Porcello’s on track to wrap up the four-year, $82.5MM pact he signed with the Red Sox in April 2015.
Having lost Joe Kelly to the Dodgers and Craig Kimbrel to the open market, Boston’s “actively engaged with multiple free-agent relievers,” Cotillo writes. While Cotillo doesn’t rule out a Kimbrel re-signing, he notes an addition could come in the $2MM to $3MM neighborhood. Kimbrel will certainly earn far more than that, though there are several other free agents who could be possibilities for the Red Sox in that price range.
Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Thursday he doesn’t expect that all three of the team’s catchers – Christian Vazquez, Sandy Leon and Blake Swihart – will be on its Opening Day roster, Sean McAdam of BostonSportsJournal.com reports (subscription required). Because all of those players are out of options, a trade is likely coming. Dombrowski noted that “there’s interest, but we still haven’t made a deal we feel comfortable making.” All three catchers had abysmal offensive seasons over 200-plus plate appearances in 2018, but if defense is Boston’s main concern, the odd man out may be Swihart. After all, the former high-end prospect has accrued little playing time as a backstop over the past few years.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Yankees, Ottavino, Trumbo, Bleier

By Steve Adams | January 7, 2019 at 10:53am CDT

We’re all familiar with the “mystery team” as a Hot Stove idiosyncrasy, but how about a “mystery player?” Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston writes that the Red Sox have been discussing a contract extension with a core player, though he adds that it’s “unclear” which player has been the focus of those talks. Drellich notes that there doesn’t appear to be anything currently in the works with Mookie Betts, Chris Sale, Xander Bogaerts or J.D. Martinez and speculatively suggests Andrew Benintendi could be the player in question. The 24-year-old Benintendi has batted .282/.359/.447 with 38 homers and 42 steals through his first 333 games at the MLB level in just over two seasons. He’s logged two years and 62 days of MLB service time, meaning he won’t be eligible for arbitration until next offseason and can be controlled through 2022.

As shown in MLBTR’s Extension Tracker, Mike Trout’s $144MM contract is the record for an outfielder with between two and three years of service, although while Benintendi’s two-plus years with the Red Sox have been strong, he obviously doesn’t have nearly as strong a case as Trout did in 2014. More relevant comparisons likely include Kevin Kiermaier’s six-year, $53.5MM deal with the Rays and the respective five-year contracts inked by Ender Inciarte ($30.525MM) and Odubel Herrera ($30.5MM) with the Braves and Phillies. It’s worth noting, though, that both Kiermaier and Inciarte were Super Two players, and Benintendi will fall shy of that distinction.

Here’s more from the AL East to help kick off the week…

The Yankees brought Zach Britton back into the fold over the weekend, but MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal indicated on the air this morning that the Yankees are also still talking to free-agent righty Adam Ottavino about a contract (video link). Adding both Britton and Ottavino, a New York native who’s been tied to the Yankees throughout the offseason, would make for a dynamic pairing with incumbent back-end options such as Aroldis Chapman, Chad Green and Dellin Betances, though presumably the addition of Britton at least somewhat lessens New York’s urgency when negotiating with Ottavino.
Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com provides updates on a pair of injured Orioles: designated hitter Mark Trumbo and left-hander Richard Bleier. Both players are expected to be ready for Opening Day, per new GM Mike Elias, but Trumbo’s case is a little murkier. The veteran slugger underwent surgery to a hole in the cartilage in his right knee — a procedure similar to the operation Dustin Pedroia had in Oct. 2017 — the lingering effects of which limited Pedroia to just three games in 2018. Trumbo has not yet progressed to running but feels that the strength in his knee is “where it needs to be” and adds that he is largely pain-free at this juncture. Bleier, meanwhile, suffered a grade 3 lat tear in his pitching shoulder in June but has progressed to throwing off flat ground without pain. His next step will be pitching off a mound. Kubatko also talked to both players about their early impressions of new skipper Brandon Hyde, which should be of particular interest to O’s fans.

Andrew Benintendi Hires Excel Sports Management

By Jeff Todd | February 15, 2018 at 7:26pm CDT

Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi has hired Excel Sports Management to represent him, according to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). Benintendi had been represented by Jason Wood before troubling allegations arose recently as to the agent’s conduct.

Benintendi, 23, was taken seventh overall in the 2015 draft and has handsomely rewarded the Sox to this point in his career. After an impressive debut effort late in 2016, he opened the 2017 campaign on the Opening Day roster and held down a regular job all season long.

After turning in 658 plate appearances of .271/.352/.424 hitting, with an even twenty long balls, Benintendi earned a second-place finish in the American League Rookie of the Year vote. He also grades as a quality defender — he’s considered capable of handling center, though he has mostly played in left thus far in Boston — and swiped twenty bags in 2017.

Benintendi remains two full seasons removed from his first potential trip through arbitration eligibility. Of course, it’s also conceivable that he could be approached at some point about the possibility of a longer-term arrangement, though it has been quite some time since the Red Sox have reached an extension with a pre-arb player. As MLBTR’s Extension Tracker shows, the last such deal was struck with Clay Buchholz back in 2011. For a position player, you have to go back to the team’s 2008 pact with Dustin Pedroia.

As always, you can keep up with the latest representation information with MLBTR’s Agency Database.

Agent Jason Wood Fired From Agency, Suspended By MLBPA

By Jeff Todd | January 10, 2018 at 6:48pm CDT

6:48pm: Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports that Benintendi is not involved in the allegations against Wood. To this point, law enforcement is not involved in the matter, either. Drellich notes that a source “confirmed the nature of the allegation” to him.

6:12pm: Wood reached out to Passan to issue a staunch denial of the reported allegations against him (Twitter link):

“The allegations that have surfaced today are absurd and untrue. Over the past 13 years I have worked tirelessly to build a successful agency through integrity and hard work. I am disappointed that there are those who have chosen to spread such irresponsible and harmful rumors.”

3:27pm: Certified player agent Jason Wood has been fired from his post as head of the baseball division of the Career Sports Entertainment agency and suspended by the MLB Player’s Association, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports on Twitter. As Passan notes, and Robert Murray of Fan Rag Sports reports in more detail, Wood stands accused of using a hidden camera on his own clients.

Clearly, it’s premature to jump to any conclusions in this odd and troublesome story. Murray, though, says that seven sources tell him that Wood is under investigation by the union for “allegedly filming numerous clients while they were using his shower” — including one that found a camera and confronted the alleged perpetrator.

CSE has issued a statement from president Danny Martoe, which Passan conveyed on Twitter. It reads as follows:

“For over 32 years, CSE Talent has prided itself on our moral and ethical standards and have built a solid reputation within the industry. We take pride in working with people who represent these values. It’s unfortunate that CSE Talent aligned itself with someone who didn’t uphold these same standards and therefore we chose to terminate with cause Wood’s employment.”

Identities of the apparent victims of Wood are not known at this time. It’s also not clear whether there is any criminal investigation, though the situation certainly could warrant such treatment.

MLBTR’s agency database shows many of Wood’s client relationships. He had operated an entity known as Arland Sports, which is still reflected in the database but has since been purchased by the CSE agency. Just which of those players was still represented by Wood at the time the allegations arose is not known (agency switches often go unreported), though Andrew Benintendi was a known client, and Wood has also repped other notable MLB players such as Jake Odorizzi and David Phelps, as well as prospects Riley Pint, Joey Wentz, and Mitch Keller, among others.

Many of the players that had been represented by Wood are now said to be seeking alternative agencies. Keller has already terminated his relationship with CSE and hired Excel Sports Management, Murray tweets.

Quick Hits: Braun, Sanchez, Benintendi, Rizzo

By Mark Polishuk | April 30, 2017 at 11:18pm CDT

Ryan Braun left after six innings of today’s 4-3 Brewers win over the Braves due to what the star outfielder called “wear and tear” in his right arm, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and other reporters. “It can get irritated swinging, throwing and then obviously you’re playing through it and it continues at times to gradually get worse, and I think that’s kind of what happens,” Braun said. While he believes he can avoid a 10-day DL stint, Braun did think he would be sidelined for the next couple of games. Though Braun vaguely alluded to more than one issue with his arm, the Brewers officially announced the injury as tightness in his right trapezius. Here’s more from around the baseball world…

Aaron Sanchez is likely headed back to the 10-day DL after suffering a split nail on his right middle finger, and the Blue Jays righty tells MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm and other reporters that his latest finger issue was unforeseen. “We really didn’t know going into today it was going to be an issue,” Sanchez said. “I think, once you get into game mode, game speed, pressure on that nail starts to disperse in certain areas and maybe it wasn’t strong enough because it was cut….It’s still frustrating, but I did everything I was supposed to do and everything I’ve done before to be ready for this start. It was just one of those things where you don’t even think about the nail splitting in a different direction.” Sanchez was originally placed on the 10-day DL with a blister on that same finger, and he underwent a procedure earlier this month to remove part of the nail. Sanchez was just activated from the DL today but his abbreviated return lasted only an inning once his finger began bleeding. Though the Jays managed to win today, Sanchez’s probable continued absence is more bad news for the struggling club, as Toronto ended April with just an 8-17 record and the second-worst winning percentage in baseball.
The Cubs had their eyes on Andrew Benintendi in the 2015 draft, and the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier writes that Chicago “seemed likely” to take Benintendi with the ninth overall pick. “His agent heard from the Cubs that he was the guy they wanted,” Chris Benintendi, Andrew’s father, said. Before the Cubs could make their move, however, the Red Sox snagged Benintendi with the seventh overall pick. Though the Cubs took highly-regarded prospect Ian Happ with their selection, this could be an interesting what-if scenario for Cubs fans if and when Benintendi’s star continues to rise.
On the flip side of the “one that got away” coin, Speier also examines an alternate reality where the Red Sox didn’t trade Anthony Rizzo to the Padres as part of the blockbuster that brought Adrian Gonzalez to Boston in the 2010-11 offseason. At the time, Rizzo was just a promising first base prospect sent along with first-rounders Casey Kelly and Reymond Fuentes in exchange for an established star in Gonzalez. That trade, of course, had enormous long-reaching implications on the recent pasts of the Red Sox, Cubs, Padres, and Dodgers, to name just a few teams that would’ve been impacted had that trade not been completed. (For instance, if the Red Sox had re-signed Adrian Beltre that winter and moved Kevin Youkilis to first base rather than acquire Gonzalez, then obviously the last six years of Rangers baseball is greatly different.)

East Notes: Red Sox, Yankees, Osuna, Marlins

By Steve Adams | April 3, 2017 at 11:50am CDT

With the likes of Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley, Xander Bogaerts and Andrew Benintendi all controlled for at least another three seasons, the Red Sox are positioned to have an excellent core of young position players for the next several years. Team president Sam Kennedy spoke recently on the CSNNE Baseball podcast about his club’s desire to keep that core intact, and CSN’s Evan Drellich provides a number of highlights from that talk. Kennedy stated that extensions for that collection of young players is “something that we talk about a lot,” though he neglected to elaborate on any specifics. Kennedy further explained the various voices that weigh in on such matters, noting that CFO Tim Zue plays an integral part in evaluating the long-term financial ramifications for the team. Kennedy called Zue the Red Sox’ “Godfather of business analytics,” and Drellich adds that Zue works closely with the Red Sox’ baseball analytics head, Zack Scott, with regularity.

More from the game’s Eastern divisions…

Yankees GM Brian Cashman tells Travis Sawchik of Fangraphs that he and Cubs president of baseball ops Theo Epstein agreed to the framework of last summer’s Aroldis Chapman trade about three days before the trade actually went through. According to Cashman, he had to wait 72 hours for ownership approval from Hal Steinbrenner as he mulled the situation over with his family and other key Yankees staffers. Cashman reveals to Sawchik that this past summer was not the first time he’s strongly recommended employing a rebuilding approach — within the column he suggests that the Yankees should have traded Robinson Cano before he hit free agency — but the 2016 campaign marked the first time in which ownership conceded. Cashman adds that he doesn’t fault Steinbrenner for not green-lighting past rebuilding efforts, telling Sawchik: “[Steinbrenner] says, ‘Cash, you’re the director of baseball operations, you get to look at things at 5,000 feet. But as a pilot, I’m in charge of network ratings, ticket sales, advertising commitments to our sponsors, a whole host of things.’ So he had to look at things at 30,000 feet. Sometimes those decisions don’t match up with what I’d recommend, and I understand and respect that. Being an owner is not easy.” The entire interview is well worth a full read for Yankee fans or any readers that are interested in the baseball operations/ownership dynamic.
The Blue Jays aren’t expecting Roberto Osuna’s stay on the disabled list to be lengthy in nature, tweets MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm. Per general manager Ross Atkins, the Blue Jays don’t think Osuna will require more than the minimum 10-day stay that is provided by the new disabled list this season. That’s excellent news for a Jays team that, on paper, carries plenty of question marks surrounding its relief corps. In Osuna’s absence, veteran Jason Grilli and sophomore reliever Joe Biagini will handle whatever save opportunities arise.
Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports that veteran outfielders Brandon Barnes and Matt den Dekker did not exercise the opt-out provisions in their minor league deals with the Marlins at the end of Spring Training (Twitter link). As such, both figure to head to Triple-A New Orleans, where they’ll serve as depth options that could surface in the Majors should the Fish incur an injury or look to add some versatility to the bench down the line. Barnes, a career .242/.289/.356 hitter, posted just a .426 OPS in Spring Training but was solid in Triple-A last season. Meanwhile, den Dekker hit .281/.306/.596 in Spring Training and is a lifetime .236/.318/.359 hitter in the bigs. Both can play all three outfield positions.

Twins News: Jay, Veterans, Stubbs, Breslow

By Mark Polishuk | March 18, 2017 at 6:27pm CDT

Here’s the latest from Minnesota…

Left-hander Tyler Jay, the sixth overall pick of the 2015 draft, will be used as a reliever going forward, Seth Stohs of Twins Daily reports. The decision was mutually made between both Jay and the Twins. Jay mostly pitched in relief in college, yet the Twins were intrigued enough by his four-pitch arsenal that they spent the high pick on him in order to test him as a starter. The southpaw pitched well in 13 starts at High-A ball last season before battling some neck issues over five appearances (two of them starts) and 14 innings at Double-A. Baseball Prospectus ranked Jay as 98th on their recent list of the 101 best prospects in baseball, and he also appeared on top-100 lists from MLB.com (60th) and Baseball America (80th) prior to the 2016 season.
Jay was drafted one spot ahead of Andrew Benintendi in 2015, and 1500 ESPN’s Darren Wolfson reports (Twitter link) that the Twins “had very little interest” in the outfielder who is now the game’s consensus number-one prospect. Notables such as Carson Fulmer and Ian Happ were picked in the next two spots after Benintendi. In fairness to Minnesota, however, Jay was highly regarded by the major prospect scouting pundits headed into the 2015 draft, so he likely wouldn’t have fallen much further than sixth had the Twins passed.
The Twins made a point of adding veteran leadership to their young clubhouse this winter, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes. Matt Belisle, Ryan Vogelsong, Chris Gimenez, Drew Stubbs and Craig Breslow were all signed to minor league deals or low-cost MLB deals this offseason, providing Minnesota with inexpensive but experienced players who can help on the field and also serve as mentors. “The idea at this stage of my career that I could impact an organization for longer than I may be playing for it is pretty powerful and pretty compelling,” Breslow said. “I’ve started to think about all of the players who have helped shape my career. I certainly look to them with incredible deference. If I have the opportunity to fill that role for somebody, it’s a legacy I would be really proud of.”
Also from Berardino’s piece, he notes that Stubbs will earn $1MM on his minor league deal should he crack the Twins’ big league roster. Stubbs has bounced around with the Braves, Orioles, Rockies and (multiple stints with the) Rangers over the last two seasons, playing in 137 games and hitting .207/.302/.365 over 234 plate appearances.
Breslow’s contractual opt-out date is early next week, though Berardino tweets that the Twins will add him to their 40-man roster. Trevor May will be moved to the 60-day DL (due to his torn UCL) in order to create space.

AL East Notes: Severino, Benintendi, Bautista, Orioles

By Steve Adams | March 9, 2017 at 8:41am CDT

Despite the fact that Luis Severino was dominant in 23 1/3 innings of relief last year after flopping in the rotation, the Yankees still view the 23-year-old as a starting pitcher, writes Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. That’s fine with Severino, who tells Davidoff: “Of course I want to be a starter.” Pitching coach Larry Rothschild tells Davidoff that Severino still has a starter’s mentality and adds some optimism that the talented righty can overcome the “bumps in the road” that he incurred in 2016. Severino shined as a 22-year-old rookie, logging a 2.89 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a 50.3 percent ground-ball rate in 62 1/3 innings back in 2015. However, he was clobbered for an 8.50 ERA and 11 homers in 47 2/3 innings as a starter last year before shifting to the ’pen. Working in short relief, Severino posted a 0.39 ERA and allowed just eight hits with a 25-to-10 K/BB ratio in 23 1/3 frames. He’s competing with Chad Green, Luis Cessa, Bryan Mitchell and Adam Warren for the two open rotation spots in the Bronx.

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